Good question to ask here is:
"Is the database on the laptop going to be used for data entry, or just for
reference?"
If it is just for reference then the answer is, keep it that way. Download
the most recent version of your office database to the laptop periodically
and be done with it.
If you want both the office and the laptop to be doing updates to the
database, you have one heck of a pile of worms. Avoid it like the plague if
you can. Been down that road. Don't want to ever do it again. It will eat
your time and patience like nobodies business.
A better solution is to have some way the laptop can access your office
database live, to do data entry. There are many ways this can be done, and
many here will have suggestions. For now I will leave the discussion at the
above "good question" stage.
-- Dennis McGrath
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
-- Productivity Tools for R:Base Programmers
http://www.enteract.com/~mcgrath/dennis
-- Full time consultant with:
SQL Resources Group
Steve Hartmann
Oak Park, IL
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On
Behalf Of David Atkinson
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2001 11:27 AM
To: RBase List
Subject: Finding Files
You folks give your time so freely. A very big Thank You to one and all for
your great and varied solutions.
Tom - VB (Gulp!)
I'm an Engineer making my living by Engineering not a programmer. We're
only a small company but we make a big impact in terms of road safety in the
UK and I somehow got involved in this because no-one else would.
Ever since System V, Sheila and my daughter Sue have fought a losing battle
for my not-at-work, but-still-working-at-home time. It's been an unpaid
labour of love(??) and it is now just expected that Dave will fix it.
So VB - I just have to say a big NO! However, now's a good chance to say
Tom, I have found the often large chunks of code you have put up in the past
of great help. Bonza and keep it up Mate.
To date we have been single user (mainly because of my naked fear of going
multi-user!!) and things have kept going pretty well, but we have
deliberately upgraded to 2000 6.5++ to go multi-user.
We currently run a three machine network under win98, but having taken on a
Business Development Manager, It has been decided he will be given a Laptop
and will have a full version of the DB on his stand alone laptop.
We consider he will come to the office once a week and upload his database,
leaving later that day with an upgraded and packed new version. I've
developed a long and meaningful relationship with 'the men's room' just
thinking about the implications and have made two important discoveries
which may be of help to anyone in a similar situation in the future -
Adrenalin has a smell and it's coloured.
Having posed relatively few questions in the past, perhaps 'long service'
entitles me to these.
1. Autonumbering (say cliID) in the above situation.
Currently a simple autonumber increments by 1 for each new client.
False inserts are ignored - having gaps in the numbering sequence is not an
issue.
2. How do I tackle the following situation.
Monday we all start with the same database.
The Bus Dev Mgr gets his version on his laptop
Tues/Wed/Thur/Fri he meets several Clients and makes some changes to their
data on his machine.
During that same week, we at Base also make changes to some of those same
clients on our Base database.
The following Monday BusDevMgr comes in to upload his laptop and later that
day leaves with a fully updated and packed version.
PC Anywhere with evening downloads is something I have considered, but that
will not overcome the issues the above situation will create. I have
devoured Anne Gillihans Inside R:Base and am now thinking euthanasia is the
next best move!
I know from past experience those of you who feel able will give your best
advice and will commit a fair bit of thought and time to your answers.
Again I can only say Thanks in advance, but as this is such an important
area, I'm sure there are many 'silent learners' like me who will also
benefit greatly from your learned solutions.
David Atkinson
skidbusters.co.uk
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
